Towards the Sun
by MDBlueEyes
Summary: Nell understood a lot of things, herself not one of them. She also didn't understand how a test could land her with the most uncoopertative Pokemon in the world! Her's is a story of hope, dreams, meaning, and more importantly, life.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: Hi! Yeah, so I _really_ needed something to do today. I figured I'd start (another) Pokemon fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. I own my characters and my region (the Lochbay Region).

* * *

Prologue: The News

Room 210 of Whitevale Public School hummed with the excited voices of twenty-something ten-year-olds. Tomorrow being the start of Whitevale Beach's Summer Breeze festival could have had something to do with the chirpiness of the class. Sun rays streaked through the large arched windows at the side of the class; there wasn't a cloud to be seen in the blue skies above. Since it was Friday, teenagers could be seen on the beach, tanning, playing a game of beach volleyball, or battling their Pokemon.

Miss. Nariko stood at the front of the classroom behind a lab bench with a long wooden pointer in her hand. She tapped on the board without focus. Even she was getting excited about the week to come. There would be no school, and no worries. The kids would be out with their friends, playing, or enjoying the carnival and fireworks. Nariko sighed dreamily. Her long blond hair was tied in a high pony tail which was starting to hurt her head. She couldn't ever keep it down during school hours, as it always got in the way. Sometimes she considered cutting it short- some would say that was the style these days.

To add to her students' happiness, today she would be informing them that in a week's time they would be receiving their first Pokemon. Nariko knew that some of them had a feeling that this announcement would be coming soon. They had been angry when they found out that the other ten-year-old class was ready for their Pokemon before their class. However, it was Nariko's firm belief that kids should be properly prepared before receiving their first Pokemon. Only being in her twenties herself, Nariko could remember when her professor held her class back from getting their companions. It had paid off in the long run, as it was proven that these students had made it a lot farther in life that the ones who got their Pokemon first.

Nariko had decided that she would make her students take a test. Although most students hated tests- and she knew it- this one would be different. It would be a personality test of sorts, to figure out which Pokemon is best suited for each individual. Having been studying at the Lockbay Region National Pokemon Academy- or L.R.N.P.A. - she knew each Pokemon's attitude towards its trainer and towards life. Each Pokemon had a very different personality, but Nariko had found that each species as a group shared certain traits, as they did abilities.

The professor stood tall in front of her class and prepared herself for her announcement. True, she had run over it many times in her head already, but it would be different this time. Despite being a professor, Nariko had an issue with public speaking, and even though she tried her hardest to cover it, she couldn't help but thinking that the fact was obvious.

She faced the chatting kids and cleared her throat two times, eventually catching their attention. A chorus of 'shh' covered the class until all was silent.

"Okay class," The professor started, "I have an announcement to make."

The students all turned to each other and began to whisper joyfully. Even the girl at the back- Nell was her name- began talking to the boy beside her. If Nariko wasn't the girl's cousin, she would have sworn it was the first time she had ever seen the girl say anything.

"Well? Do you want to hear what I have to say or not?" The woman asked, and the class fell silent at her voice. "Thank you. Now, I know that a few of you probably know what I am going to say, and I would appreciate if you would be quiet while I tell everybody else." Nariko smiled at her little cousin, who was smirking. "As you all know, it is typical that when a student turns ten-years-old, they receive their first Pokemon. You also know that this is not the case in Whitevale Beach. Here, we divide classes by age, and the ten-year-old classes will normally start their Pokemon journeys at the same time. Again, this is not the case. Now, I know that you were all angry with me and our principal, for not letting you guys have your Pokemon at the same time as the other class. However, I hope to make this up to you. Next week you will all receive your first Pokemon."

The class began to cheer. Some students got out of their seats and started to talk excitedly with their friends on the other side of the class. Nariko couldn't blame them for being excited. She knew she was when she found out she was going to receive her first Pokemon- which was a Sunkern. She thought it was the most adorable thing on the planet, and it nearly killed her to evolve it when her battle record wasn't very good.

"Students! Return to your seats!" The professor said impatiently. "There is more. I know that some of you are not going to like this, but there will be a test. Don't worry though. It is a personality test so I will know which Pokemon to give each of you."

There was a murmur of approval spread across the room. It wouldn't be that bad. At least they didn't have to study!

A few seconds later the school's bell shrilled loudly, signaling the end of classes. As was tradition, the kids lined up at the door and waited to be dismissed. Nariko stood to the side of the door before opening it and saying her goodbyes. However, one student stayed behind.

"Nariko?" Nell asked, looking up at her cousin.

"Yes?"

Tugging at her dark blue school blazer nervously, Nell asked, "Will there be a Pokemon out there for me?"

"Of course! There are Pokemon in the world with all sorts of personalities! I'm sure there will be one that suits you perfectly." Nariko said, trying to convince her cousin. That was the problem with Nell. The girl had a split personality of sorts. In public she was very shy, but in the company of close friends and family she was the most outgoing person Nariko knew.

"But…How will I take this test. Do I answer the questions as the way I am here, or as the way I am at home? Either way, I'll feel like I'm lying." Nell confessed. She averted her violet eyes toward the ground and ran a small hand through her short, carnation-pink hair. Today she had her bangs clipped to the side. That was the most Nariko had ever seen her do with her hair.

"Do what you feel is right." Nell's cousin encouraged, giving the girl a soft smile.

"Thanks Nariko."

"Oh, and Nell? Have fun this week. Don't worry about what is to come." Nariko said as Nell turned to walk out the door.

The younger girl turned back around, smiled at her, and then walked out the door. Least did she know that her journey would be greater than most others.

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	2. Test Date

Author's Note: Hi! Oh man, thank you guys SO much for those reviews! They made my day! I love how I'm getting a response to this fic!

**Hey, if anybody wants a character in this fic, just give me a basic profile including anypokemon they have!**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Pokemon related. I own my characters, and the Lochbay Region.

* * *

Chapter One: Test Date

One week later, Nell Delecruz sat in the same uncomfortable desk. She had taken her cousin's advice and didn't bother to think about the test that was to come. Now that it was here, she wished that she _had_ bothered to think about it. True, it was only a personality test, but this one would almost decide her fate. How could people be so cruel? Nell believed that a trainer should be able to choose his or her own Pokemon instead of trusting a Professor to do it for them. Who were Professors anyway? And what made them think that they held supreme authority over everyone else?

Nell glanced up at the front of the room, where Nariko was standing with a thick pile of paper in her hands. She seemed nervous for her students. Even when she spoke, there was a tremble in her voice that wasn't normally there. Nell knew that she had a slight fear of public speaking, but there was really no need to be this nervous. After all, it wasn't her future on the line.

Professor Nariko began to hand out the tests. Unlike Nell, everybody else in the class seemed utterly excited about this feat. When the blonde woman placed a test on her desk, Nell began to feel sick to her stomach. She had been tempted to stay home from school today, but if she had done that, she wouldn't be getting her first Pokemon. Her mother said it was from too much worrying. Nell said it was from last night's broccoli.

Standing back at the front of the class, Professor Nariko said, "Okay class, flip over you papers and begin!"

There was a loud 'whoopee' from the students, followed by a ruffle of papers. Hands shaking, Nell nervously flipped over the five-page test. Reading it over, she noticed that it was incredibly detailed. The first questions were simple enough, like 'What is your favourite colour?' and 'What is your favourite season?'

It made sense that 'What is your favourite Pokemon?' wasn't on there. If it was, Nell would have definitely answered 'Mantine'. It was a dream of hers to own such a Pokemon. Maybe she liked Mantines because of their massive size, as Nell herself was short for her age. Or maybe it was because of their overall cuteness. What Nell knew was that she adored water Pokemon. She hoped and prayed that she would be blessed with the honour of owning one. Nell had it all planned out. Her and her Pokemon would be best friends.

As Nell continued to ponder about the many water Pokemon in the world, she never realized how fast the test's questions were going by. Soon enough, she found that she was on the last question. She stared at it.

The question read, 'From the list below, what personality trait best describes you? CHOOSE ONLY ONE.' Nell read the words in her head five times. She blinked and looked up to the front, hoping to catch her cousin's eye. When she didn't, she returned her eyes to the paper, and started twirling her pencil in her hand. How would she answer this one? The rest of the questions turned out to be really simple. This was the one that she needed to follow her heart with. She knew that she could always lie and try to guess which one would be most suiting for a Mantine, but found that wouldn't be morally right.

Releasing a slight moan, Nell closed her eyes and marked off a box. She hoped that she didn't just make the worst decision of her life.

* * *

A young boy lay in the sand of Whitevale Beach, his long teal hair blowing in the breeze. This was his favourite hobby- just lazing around on the beach. It was hard to think that in an hour's time he would have a Pokemon lying there beside him. He had to admit- that personality test had been intense. He couldn't decide if he should lie or not. It was strict tradition that every trainer in his family must start out with a grass-type Pokemon, and he didn't want to break that.

In his right hand, he grabbed a handful of white sand and held it out in front of him. He closed his eyes, wished for the best, and opened his fist, releasing the sand. The boy wouldn't let anybody know- he was too cool- but he really was worried about this test. His worry wasn't just for his though; it was for his best friend, Nell, too. He was one of the few people who had actually seen both sides of the girl. She was just so unpredictable, even he- who had known her all his life- had no idea what she was going to choose. It was obvious that their classmates would guess that Nell would answer the questions like the shy girl that she was, but the boy had his doubts.

Footsteps became audible from behind him, so he whipped his head around. Running towards him was his best friend, bare feet and all.

"Merick, please tell me that I didn't just make the worst decision of my life!" Nell said, panting. She had gone home to change out of her school uniform after the test, and was now wearing a yellow tank top and a knee-length brown skirt. Merick looked down at his own attire, which consisted of a lot less material- a pair of black board shorts.

"What are you going on about?" Merick joked. Given that the sun was at its afternoon high, he flipped down his sunglasses so that they covered his light blue eyes.

Nell punched her friend in the arm and sat down beside him. "Oh har har. You know, you _could_ have a little bit more sympathy for me!"

"Why do you need sympathy? Or is it more than that? Oh, I know, you just want my attention!" Merick smirked at the girl, whose mouth was open wide. "What are you trying to do, catch a Ledyba?"

"Eww! You _know_ I don't like bug Pokemon! Well…except for Surskit! They're water Pokemon."

"Yeah, you don't have to tell me that. I could never forget you obsession with water Pokemon…No matter how much I wanted to!" Merick laughed.

Fixing the boy a glare, Nell retorted, "Yeah, well you're the same, buster. Except you're all, 'I _need_ to get a grass Pokemon, or I'll dishonor my family!' Boo-hoo-hoo. Do you even _like_ grass Pokemon? No, I didn't think so."

"Hey, let's just face it. We're two weird kids in a messed up world." Merick grinned, recline further back on his elbows.

"True dat."

"You know…you really don't sound cool when you say that."

"I know. I just do it to bug ya." Nell said before winking.

"So…What _did_ you put down for that last question?" Merick asked, turning his head to look at his friend. She had her eyes staring down at the sand, a sad expression on her face. Surely she was questioning if she had made the right choice. Merick didn't know what the big deal was. He had confidence in her and knew that she could handle anything. Though he wouldn't blame her for being disappointed if she didn't receive a water Pokemon. However, there was a feeling deep inside them both that told them that she would- just as they both knew he would get his grass Pokemon…but that feeling wasn't as strong.

"…Fun." Nell whispered.

"Really? Well it's true you know. You are fun…just not around other people!"

"Would you stop teasing me? What did you put down mister? I hope you put down peculiar, because the only other thing suiting for you would be MEAN." The girl faked a pout and once again punched her friend in the arm.

"Never mind 'fun' if you never wanted to lie you could have put 'violent'! You know, I think your cousin put it on the test just for you! Remember when you broke a few of my ribs that one time? Not to mention that you gave me a black eye… That was painful!"

It was true. Two years ago the duo was at a neighborhood party when they were offered to play with some of Nariko's Pokemon. Being a professor, Nariko naturally had many Pokemon, and had decided to bring only four to the party: A Snorunt, a Spheal, a Mawile, and a Gulpin. The kids had decided to each pick two Pokemon and have a fake battle. Nell had sided with the Spheal- who happened to be very aggressive- and the Mawile, whereas Merick had chosen the Snorunt and the Gulpin. It was more like he was stuck with them because he let Nell choose first. While the two of them pretended to battle, Nell started to get fed up with Merick constantly 'winning'. At first she thought that she would sick the Spheal on him, because it could cause some damage. That was until she realized that that would be cruel. Instead, she opted to have the Pokemon cause a distraction while she would sneak up behind him. While the Pokemon started fighting, Nell had tackled her friend from behind. The Pokemon stopped fighting and went over to their 'master', who was tickling Merick to death. Merick, who now had Nell and two Pokemon on him, felt like he was about to faint- and he did. The doctors said it was from lack of air to the lungs. Aside from that, he thought he was fine.

It wasn't until two days later that he found out he had actually gotten hurt. It was needless to say that Nell's plan didn't exactly work out the way she had hoped.

"Hey! That was funny!"

"Why did those Pokemon listen to you anyway? Mine just stood there like lumps! They wouldn't even defend me!" Merick pondered.

"Because I'm cool and you aren't. Why else?" Nell stated conceitedly. She glanced down at the watch on her wrist. "Um…I think she should get going. We have to be at the lab in, like, fifteen minutes."

"WHAT! Do you expect me to go dressed like this!" Merick shouted, gesturing at his bare chest. Not that Nell was looking or anything- she had already started heading towards the path, laughing.

* * *

Once again, Nariko found herself standing in front of a classroom of ten-year-olds. No longer in their formal school uniforms, the kids seemed more relaxed- and more giddy- than usual. In fact, they hadn't yet noticed their teacher standing in front of the class and resumed talking to their friends. Nariko watched as her younger cousin spoke to the same boy as last week. She had always found that boy rather particular- long hair that would be more suiting if it was black instead of teal. That wasn't the only thing off about him though. His typical school day normally consisted of sitting in the back of the room, doing work and not talking. Now this was odd for a ten-year-old in Whitevale Beach. Most kids were outgoing, but then again, Nell wasn't like that in public either. Nariko hadn't a clue that the two kids had been best friends all their life- which was odd, seeing as Nariko was always over at Nell's place. Mr. and Mrs. Delecruz were like second parents to the professor.

Five minutes later, Nariko was forced to clear her throat to get the kids' attention. They looked up at her like they always did.

"Now, I am going to call you up alphabetically to give you your Pokemon. Are you ready?" She asked the students, who all- including Nell and Merick- nodded eagerly. "Okay, Sarah Appleton, come on up."

A young girl with long blonde hair approached the front of the room. Nell watched her and remembered how much she hated the girl. The blonde was just too chirpy for Nell's likes. Sarah stood in front of Nariko as the woman handed her a red and white pokeball and a compact square gadget, which was assumed to be a pokedex. Sarah bounced perkily out of the room and Nariko continued.

"Kevin Broderick." Just as Sarah had, the brunette boy received his pokeball from Nariko and left the room. Nell's cousin continued to read off names. Six students later, she said, "Nell Delecruz."

Nell walked over to her nervously. It was the moment of truth. Had she made a mistake? Or hadn't she?

Nariko gave her cousin an encouraging smile. Of course she knew what Pokemon her little cousin was about to receive- she was the one who scored the tests. Frankly, she had been surprised when she saw the way that Nell had answered the last- and most important- question.

Nell took the small pokeball and pokedex from her cousin's hands, and, after receiving a 'good luck', left the room. Upon entering the hall, she felt the urge to release the life form from the object in her hand, but she had promised Merick that she would wait for him. She never broke promises.

As Merick's last name was Locke, it had taken him awhile to get out of the school. When he did finally get out, Nell was sitting up in a stubby palm tree, waiting. She threw the small ball up and down, and called her friend over.

Some students were still standing around the front of the school, showing their Pokemon off to their classmates. Sarah Appleton had received an impressive looking Oddish, and Kevin a Doduo. Watching them with their new friends made Nell slightly jealous, but she knew in time that she would meet her own.

"Nell…" Merick whined, "I can't climb! Get down here!"

Nell looked down at her friend skeptically. "Yeah, right. Getting a little excited there Locke?"

Somehow, Nell managed to land the ten foot jump down the palm tree. With a 'aha!', she approached Merick with a smirk on her face.

"You ready for this?" He asked, and Nell nodded. "Okay then, on three. One…two…three!"

Both kids threw their pokeballs in the air, and were engulfed in a red glow. In seconds, two forms took shape in front of them.

Nell, who had her eyes closed, heard nothing from Merick, who was no longer beside her. She heard him take two steps forward.

"Oh…my…Nell, open your eyes!"

The girl complied, and gasped.

"What!"

* * *

Yep, I think this will be a good time to end the chapter :) Don't worry, I'll most likely update again this weekend. Just first I have to dig up enough will to update Saddy Rocks sweatdrop

Oh, and don't ask how somebody sits in a palm tree. I don't even know if thats possible!

Like always,

Read and Review!


	3. Saying Goodbye

Author's Note: Hiya! Thanks for the reviews and characters! I've decided to make this fic my main priority (for now anyway). It's easier to handle one at a time. When I'm done this one I'll start Saddy up again (unless I get a massive urge of inspiration). Anyway, your characters will probably show up soon.

Now for your guesses about which (type of) Pokemon Nell would get. I'm sorry to say that they were wrong. I had actually considered them both, but I figured the way I'm about to write it will work in the sense that Nell will eventually regret her decision from the previous chapter. Anywho that was a long AN, now on to the chapter!

**If, for any new people reading this, you want a character in this fic, just give me a basic profile and any Pokemon the character might have.**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Pokemon related. I do own my characters and the Lochbay region.

* * *

Chapter Two: Saying Goodbye

Nell, who had her eyes closed, heard nothing from Merick, who was no longer beside her. He had taken two steps forward.

"Oh…my…Nell, open your eyes!"

The girl complied, and gasped.

"What!"

In front of her stood a blue blob with a green lily pad on its head. The Pokemon looked up at its new trainer, its eyes unfocused. In all truth, Nell thought it looked intellectually challenged. She voiced this opinion and received no reply from Merick.

Merick was shocked. Staring down at the red dog in front of him, he couldn't believe what was happening to him.

"I have shamed my family!" He shouted.

Nell whipped her head toward him and stared. "What? Why-" She looked down at the Pokemon in front of him. "Aww! Cute! It's a…oh _now_ I see why your saying that! I'm sure they'll understand! I mean, you can't change the test results!"

"There must be a mistake…I need to go talk to Professor Nariko…" Merick muttered, turning his back to Nell.

"Oh no you don't buster! If you don't want the Pokemon then I'll trade you! At least yours looks like it has a brain! Why you got a Growlithe, I don't know." Nell took out her yellow pokedex and pointed it at the dog.

"_Growlithe, the Puppy Pokemon. It has a brave and trustworthy nature. However, it is very protective of its territory, and will bark and bite to repel intruders from its space."_

Before pointing the gadget at her own Pokemon, Nell murmured, "Brave my butt." Merick heard her though and turned back around.

"_Lotad, the water weed Pokemon. It floats upon clean water ponds. Sometimes it will ferry small Pokemon across ponds by carrying them on the broad leaf on its head."_

"Like you would even _know_ how I feel right now! You know perfectly well how serious my parents are about this matter! Now I'm _going_ to go talk to your cousin!" Merick returned his Growlithe to its pokeball and stomped off toward the school without another word.

Nell did know perfectly well how strict her friend's parents were. She had actually heard them threaten to disown the boy if he didn't end up with a grass Pokemon. They had said something about 'family honor'. After that, Merick had gone into one of his angry spells. It terrified Nell when he did that. He would lock himself up in his room, only leaving to get food, sometimes not even for that. If somebody tried to talk to him, he would snap at them- just like he was doing now.

The Lotad croaked at its trainer and started to jump up and down. "Taddddddddd" It screeched.

Knowing that Merick probably wasn't going to come back for a while, Nell decided to further explore the functions of her pokedex. The pokedex informed her that her Lotad was a male, and asked if she would like to give it a nickname. She answered yes, and chose to name it Palee. In class, Nariko had only talked about the Lotad family once, so Nell couldn't remember much. The pokedex told her the Pokemon's current stats, its level of evolution, its current level- which was five-, its attacks, and much more.

What she couldn't help but notice was the large red button on the side of the gadget. Being the curious person that she was, she pressed it.

"Taaaad-noooo!" The Lotad continued to screech. Nell stopped pressing buttons for a second.

"No?" She said, tilting her head to the side.

"_Yes! No! What?_" Palee said, jumping up and down then stopping.

"Wait a minute…did you just speak?"

"_I've been speaking the entire time, you dimwit!"_ Palee scowled.

Nell screamed. She saw that Sarah Appleton was running over to her.

"What is it?" She asked with her Oddish in her arms.

"_Yeah, what is it, Master Dimwit?"_ Palee mocked.

"Did- did you just hear that?" Nell asked Sarah.

"All I head was 'Lotad tad'." Sarah answered.

"Oh god, I'm going insane. Say, Sarah have you pressed that massive red button on the side of you pokedex?"

"No, should I have?" Sarah asked, confused. She continued to cuddle the Oddish closer.

"Do it."

The girl listened and looked around.

"…I- How come I can hear Chime?"

"Yeah, I don't know. I can't hear your Oddish talking, and you can't hear Palee…" Nell stated.

"Palee? What kind of name is that? Nell, you are such a dork." With that, Sarah left toward her house.

"_You know, you are a dork."_ Palee once again mocked.

It had been a half an hour and Merick still hadn't come out. Opting to go home, Nell left the school yard, though only after returning Palee to its pokeball. Why hadn't Nariko told them about the button? She should have assumed that most ten year olds would be curious as to what it did. The thing didn't even have an off switch. Now that was bad.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Nell rounded in on her house. It was a normal size, two-story home, situated on the beach, and had a white stucco finish. Most of the houses in Whitevale Beach were like this, except for the homes of the wealthy- like Sarah and Merick. Nell had never been jealous of them though. She preferred her beach house to their more inland mansions. That and it was frustrating to constantly get lost in Merick's house. 

There was a tall palm tree in the front yard of the house and a perfect view of the water. That was what Nell loved about the place. She would always sit on her bedroom patio and look down at the surfers and their water Pokemon. Sometimes she would even draw them.

Nell walked into the kitchen, only to be greeted by her mother, Rose. The woman immediately dropped what she was doing and ran over to hug her daughter.

"So how did it go?" Rose asked, letting go of Nell.

"Fine.' Nell shrugged.

The kitchen was simple. The walls were an off-white colour and the floors were of light wood. There were long, glass double doors that led to a patio along the back wall. A kitchen set was along the left wall, where freshly baked pastries were sitting. Rose was the local pastry chef, so Nell had always gotten the honor of tasting everything. The table was in the middle of the room, along with two chairs- Nell's father had been visiting relatives in the nearby Momora region for the past month. He wouldn't allow Nell to come with him because he knew she would be getting her Pokemon, and he knew that Nell's cousins would no longer be at home.

"Fine? That's it?" Rose asked with a worried expression on her face.

"Yeah. Fine for me, but not so fine for Merick."

"Oh? Why?"

Nell explained the situation to her mother, leaving out the part about the button. She didn't want to worry or confuse her mother any more.

"Well? Are you going to let me see this Palee?"

Once again, Nell shrugged. She pressed the button on her pokeball and it emitted a red glow, soon to form Palee.

"_It's about time!" _Palee complained.

As Rose fussed over how cute she thought the Pokemon was, Nell walked over to the counter and helped herself to a fresh donut. It was apple-cinnamon flavored. She liked that.

"Oh, honey, I got you something…now where did I put it?" Rose said, looking around the room. She walked to the front closet and returned with a bag. Giving it to Nell, she smiled and returned to Palee, who was crying out complains.

Nell sat down and removed the contents of the bag. It was a new outfit. First there was a shirt. It was about knee length, flared out slightly at the bottom, and was a light blue-green colour with two yellow stripes at the bottom. Next there was a matching yellow tank top with a stripe through the center of it the same colour as the skirt. After that, there was a pair of blue-green boots. Finally, at the bottom of the bag, was a matching yellow belt meant to hold pokeballs and a pokedex.

"Thanks Mum, I love it!" Nell said.

"_I don't."_ Palee retorted.

"I wasn't asking you!" Nell mumbled.

"What was that honey?" Rose asked, standing at the oven. She was putting a batch of blueberry Danishes in to be baked.

"Nothing Mum."

"Oh, I have one more thing for you. It's in the closet, would you go get it?"

Nell nodded and walked out of the room. She opened the closet and saw a backpack that matched her skirt. She loved how her mother was so colour-coordinated. Picking the bag up, Nell walked back into the kitchen, sat down, and began to dig through it.

Rose had filled it with stuff. There were ten pokeballs, five greatballs, twenty potions, a small radio chip for her pokedex, a few antidotes, paralyze heals, a pokeblock case, some TMs containing water-type moves- Rose must have guessed that Nell would get a water type-, and other things. There was a small cube at the bottom of the bag. Holding it in her hand, Nell noticed that there was a red button on it. Uh oh, she thought. She had no desire what so ever to press the button.

"Hey Mum, what's this?" Nell asked.

"Press the button and find out. Wait, just don't press it on the-"

It was too late, as Nell had pressed the button, and now on the table- and threatening to break it- was a teal-coloured bicycle. Nell looked at it with stars in her eyes. She had always wanted a bicycle of her own, and to not rent one from Merick's dad, who ran the surf shop. That was how their family had gotten their fortune. The Lockes owned the only surf shop in town, which was surprising, seeing as Whitevale Beach got all of its tourists because of the beach. The shop not only sold surfing gear, but also scuba and snorkeling gear, skateboards, and bicycles.

"Wow! Thank you _so_ much Mum!" Nell said, jumping up and down while trying to get the bike off of the table.

"It's a good thing that we are good friends with the Lockes, or else I wouldn't have gotten a good discount on it. It is supposed to be a new model." Rose informed, implying that Nell should take good care of it.

Meanwhile, Palee sat on the floor, bored.

"_If I'm going to be subjected to being your Pokemon, could we at least do something?"_ He asked, not so politely.

"Honey, why don't you take your Pokemon to the beach? Maybe you could go see if Merick-"

"I'll take Palee to the beach, but I am _not_ going to see if Merick wants to come! He's being a jerk!" Nell cut in. She instantly regretted it though. That wasn't really how she felt; she was just frustrated with him.

"Okay, it was only a suggestion. Now go on."

"Sure, I have to get changed first."

Nell walked up the stairs to her room. The colour schemes of each room in the house were pretty similar. Light colours and light wood floors. Nell's bedroom walls were plain white. There was a balcony that faced the water, door open. Along the left wall was a set of stair that lead up to an inside balcony, where her dresser and a couch were located. Underneath this balcony was a round table and two cushioned stools. Her school books still littered the table. On one side of the left side of the balcony door was a small tropical plant, and on the other side, her bed. At the end of the bed stood a night table with a lamp on it. Just like Nell's clothes, everything in her room was colour coordinated- mainly white with cerulean blue accents. Everything except the table that is. It was cerulean blue with a white runner on it.

Nell dropped Palee on her bed, and walked up to her dresser. She grabbed a yellow bikini top and yellow accented brown board shorts out of it and got changed in the bathroom down the hall. She returned to her room, only to get Palee, and left the house.

Walking down the thin boardwalk, she considered inviting Merick to the beach. However, any thoughts she had of that were dissolved when he came running up to her.

"Hey, I was just at your house. Your mom said you were going to the beach. It's a good thing I caught you." Merick said, keeping pace with Nell.

"Why?"

"Well…I talked to the Professor…" Merick started slowly.

"And?" Nell asked, urging him to continue.

"She said she couldn't do anything about it, even if she wanted to. I need to get out of this place. My parents can't find out about this."

"Merick, you can't. Please talk to them." Nell pleaded.

"Listen, I don't have a problem with what happened. I'm actually kind of glad it did. I just don't want any more people to hate me, okay?" Merick tried to explain. Nell looked sadly up to him.

"You have to at least come to the beach with me!" She said, trying to smile. The boy nodded. He took his pokeball from his belt and released the Growlithe.

"_Oh, spare me."_ Palee said to Nell.

"By the way, did you happen to press that big red button on the side of you pokedex?" Nell asked Merick.

"Of course, that was the first thing I did! What do you take me for?" Merick said.

"_A loser._" Palee sang.

"Oh, I hope your Growlithe isn't as much as a jerk as this stupid thing." Nell said rudely.

"No, he's actually okay."

"Lucky!" Nell moaned.

"I named him Griff. What did you name yours?" Merick asked curiously.

"Palee, although I regret wasting such a good name on that thing!"

Palee ignored her.

The new trainers and their Pokemon headed north towards the main beach, where they knew that a lot of their peers would be. They were both hoping to start battling people. Nell was kind of jealous of Merick, because his Pokemon knew a half decent attack. All Palee knew was Astonish and Growl, which would do basically no damage to most Pokemon. Today she would be looking out for psychic Pokemon to battle, and avoiding normal types.

* * *

There was no breeze at the main tourist beach today. The beating sun was making the already hot temperature impossibly hotter. The water was littered with people and Pokemon alike. Little kids who weren't in the water were building sand castles on the beach while there parents watched over them. Only one beach volleyball net was being occupied, and that was rare. There was a long line up at The Surf Shop, where people were most definitely buying cold drinks. As predicted, there were many new trainers on the beach, all battling each other. Sarah Appleton was decked out in a short pink skirt and pink bikini top, and was battling a shirtless Kevin Broderick. It was needless to say that she was getting slaughtered. His Doduo was Pecking her Oddish mindlessly, while she kept trying to order it to use Absorb. Nell and Merick were both laughing at Sarah. She should have known better than to sick her Oddish on a flying-type. But then again, she was never the brightest kid in the class.

"I've an idea. Me and you. Right now." Nell proposed to Merick.

"You're on. Griff!" Merick said, "Bite attack!"

"Try to dodge it Palee, then use Astonish!" Nell countered.

"_How about 'no'?" _Palee said getting hit full on by Griff's bite attack.

The Lotad use Growl.

"Bite him again Griff!" Merick ordered, laughing at Nell's unfortunate Pokemon.

"I've got it! Palee! Use Growl!" Nell said, glaring at Merick.

It was at that time Palee decided to use Astonish. The attack hit its opponent ineffective.

"Cut the crap Palee! Growl at him!"

"One more Bite attack Griff!" Merick said confidently. He pointed his finger at Palee.

The Lotad made a noise that sounded like humming and used another Astonish attack. Griff bit Palee one more time and claimed victory. Nell growled in frustration and stomped her foot while she applied a potion to her injured Pokemon.

"Sorry Nell." Merick said grinning.

"Oh har har. Why me? Why couldn't I get a good Pokemon who listens to me?" Nell asked, looking up at the sky.

"_Because you're not cool enough."_ Palee replied.

"Sucks for you. Hey, Kevin!" Merick called, running off toward the boy who had just beaten Sarah.

Nell wondered aimlessly around the beach, battling anyone who challenged her- and losing every time. Since the heat was starting to get to her, she decided that she would take Palee for a swim.

The cool water felt good on her skin. Even Palee seemed happy. He floated lazily on top of the water, taking in the sun. Nell dived under the water and grabbed a handful of wet sand. She snuck up behind the Lotad and smeared it on his leaf. This made him growl at the girl, and try to get the mud off of him. When he couldn't, Nell splashed him. This started a small water war between the two, which resulted in a very angry Nell. She couldn't even win a water war against her pathetic Lotad.

Back on the sand, Nell sighed dejectedly and dried off. Merick was running around like a mad man trying to find people to battle. Nell watched him as he challenged one of their classmates, Kara, and her Ralts. Nell's eyes opened wide and she sped toward them. Kara had a psychic Pokemon! If there was any chance Nell could get Palee to cooperate, than there was a chance that she would win.

"Hey, Palee…" Nell whispered, "Could you actually try to win this one? I'll…buy you an ice cream if you do!"

"_Wow, what a bribe. How can I resist?"_ Palee replied sarcastically.

"Fine, what would it take for me to get you to actually try to win?" Nell asked pleadingly.

"_Let's see…if I listen to you in battle, you have to do whatever I say outside of battle."_ Palee stated.

"Ugh. Fine."

Griff had just done the final blow to Ralts, and Merick, yet again, claimed victory.

"Hey, Kara. Can you battle me?" Nell asked the girl. She nodded, her short blonde hair falling in her face. She quickly gave her Ralts a potion and was ready.

"Okay! Hale! Use Confusion!" She commanded.

"Palee, find a way to dodge it and come back with Astonish!" Nell yelled.

A purple aura surrounded Palee before he could dodge the attack. He was able to use astonish after being it by the powerful attack.

The battle continued. The Pokemon were evenly matched, hitting each other blow-for-blow. As Palee had a slight advantage, he had manage to gain a bit of a lead, forcing Kara to throw Hale a potion.

In the end, Nell was able to claim her first victory.

* * *

It was five o'clock and the sun was beginning to set. Whitevale Beach stayed warm all year round, but in the winter months it was normal for the sun to go down this early. Nell and Merick found themselves on Nell's front porch watching the sunset for the last time. Tomorrow Nell would be leaving and Merick tonight. Nell had tried to get him to stay until tomorrow, but he flat out refused, on account of not wanting to go home. He held his Growlithe in his arms knowing that the puppy would be his only source of comfort.

"You know, it isn't like we'll never see each other again." Merick said.

"Yeah, I know. It's just weird though. I always thought that we would travel together…" Nell responded quietly.

"I have to do this on my own. I'm sure you'll find other friends along the way. Hey, maybe Palee will even listen to you one day."

"Sure…" Nell said doubtfully.

"I should really get going. I want to make it to Carina Port by nightfall." Merick said, glancing at his watch.

"Okay. Well…I guess I'll see you around." Nell said standing up beside him.

She gave him a small hug, and then let him walk down the stairs.

"Bye Nell." He said.

"Goodbye. Wait, we _have_ to see each other again! I have to kick your butt in battle!" Nell said confidently.

"Yep, I remember." Merick smirked, and was gone.

Nell looked toward the ocean and wished that her sadness could be washed away in the tide, just like the day's sandcastles.

"He's…gone." She whispered softly.

"_Oh boo-hoo. Now go make me a sandwich!"_ Palee ordered.

* * *

A/N: That chapter was longer…

Now, notice how Palee is a jerk. Palee will always be a jerk, but Nell isn't yet regretting her decision. She will start regretting it much more when Palee evolves and gets more defiant. Anywho, look out for your characters in the next few chapters! (Not like your going to miss them being there or anything…)

READ AND REVIEW :)


	4. A Displeasing Pleasure

Author's Note: Hi! I just want to say that I love you guys! Ya'll make me complete!

-Silence-

…Okay, that was weird. The heat is starting to get to me…it must be the aftermath of the sun stroke…ha. I'm good.

One more thing. I have thought about it (a lot), and have (somewhat) decided how your characters are going to come into play. Right about now I'm thinking of the most humorous ways to bring them in (Given the earliness of the story). I have one worked out -evil look-. Worry not though. I will not torture your characters without your consent. For now, I will continue to have fun torturing Nell…because that is, well, fun.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Pokemon related. I also do not own Kelly (Who belongs to my sister), or Kyle (who belongs to Dinobot.). I do, however, own my own characters, and of course the evilness we all know as Palee.

Let me know if I'm completely screwing up your characters, or if there is anything I can do differently!

Fire Spirit- Sofia will be in the next chapter. How do you do that nifty 'i'? It didn't sow up in my email and all week I've been thinking that her name was Sofa -sweatdrop- :) Man, I'm dumb sometimes.

* * *

Chapter Three: A Displeasing Pleasure

It was twelve o'clock noon and Nell found herself in the grasslands of Route 146. She had woken up early in order to say goodbye to her mother. It had been tough. Knowing that Merick wouldn't be going with her, both she and her mother were worried, though for obviously different reasons. Rose was concerned about Nell's safety, whereas Nell was worried about spending alone time with the ever-complaining Palee. While her mother had been fretting about every aspect of Nell's departure, the girl had kept wondering if she would ever see Merick again. His leaving was the saddest thing Nell had ever experienced. That was in the past though, and she knew that she would have to move on. But with Palee? Now that was crazy.She would just have to look for another Pokemon.

The grasslands had been relatively empty that day, apart from a few Pidgeys and Ratattas. However, those weren't the types of Pokemon Nell was looking for. Although she was now starting to regret her Pokemon standards, as Palee was becoming particularly annoying.

Not liking to be alone, Nell had let Palee out of his Pokeball and was subjected to carry him everywhere. He said that having stubs for feet made it hard to walk. Nell said he was lazy, and that was the truth.

Nevia the Pokedex had indicated that by fighting a few Pidgeys, Palee had risen to level ten and –at level seven- had learned to use Absorb. Nell had taken note of putting one of her TMs to use, making Palee learn Water Pulse. At least now he knew a half-decent water attack.

"_So where are we going, and are we there yet?"_ Palee asked bored.

"Right now we're heading up Route 146 on our way to Marionette Town, where the first gym is." Nell replied, looking at the miniscule map on Nevia. "No, we aren't quite there yet. No stay alert, Nevia says we're heading into a more Pokemon populated area!"

Nell was excited. According to Nevia, there were plenty of different kinds of Pokemon in this area of the grasslands. She would finally be able to return Palee and have a new Pokemon to talk to. She just hoped that her next Pokemon had a better attitude.

"_Oh, I know what you're thinking! You're thinking about catching another Pokemon so you can put me away! I'm telling you missy, I AM NOT going back into that ball!" _Palee shrieked.

"Wow Palee, you can read minds. Now stay alert…Look! Over there!" Nell said, pointing to a Pokemon twenty feet north of them.

The green mantis Pokemon was looking up at the sky, oblivious to the trainer and her Pokemon making their way over to it. She wasn't going to fly away on them any time soon.

"_Oh, I hope you don't think I'm going to fight THAT._"

"Paleeeee!" Nell whined, "I want that Pokemon!"

"_Nope, never going to happen girly."_ Palee said, stubbornly shaking his head.

"You know what? You _are_ going to fight that Pokemon, and you _are_ going to listen to me! I've been running around like your slave for the past day. Now _you are going to get me that Pokemon_!" Nell ordered firmly, emphasizing the words in her last sentence. The duo was two feet away from the Pokemon when Nell yelled, "Palee! Water Pulse attack!"

Palee jumped out of Nell's arms and growl at her before hitting the Scyther in the back with a large amount of water. When the Pokemon recovered from shock, it turned to Palee with an angry expression on its face. It charged at the Lotad with an unavoidable speed, and hit him hard. This made Palee very mad.

"Palee! Another Water Pulse attack!" Nell screamed.

Palee gladly complied and water it hit the Scyther square in the face. The bug looked dazed, so Nell took that opportunity to throw one of her greatballs at it. The Pokemon was absorbed into the ball by a glow of red light. On the ground, the greatball rocked back and forth for a few minutes until it stopped.

Nell jumped up and let out a 'whoop'. She grabbed the blue and red pokeball from the ground. This was the first Pokemon she had caught on her own. She felt a wave of overwhelming pride rush through her. She turned to tell somebody about it…but she remembered that there was nobody there with her. Nell sighed and turned her attention to Palee.

In her opinion, the Lotad was looking rather conceited. He had his head tilted upward with a freaky grin plastered on his face.

"Proud of yourself, Palee?" Nell asked happily. Palee immediately returned to his defiant self. He looked at Nell and saw his minimized pokeball in her left hand. He shuttered.

"_I didn't think you were actually serious about putting me back in that thing!"_

"Well…since you listened to me, I guess I could keep you out." Nell hummed, receiving a grunt from her Pokemon.

She threw her greatball in the air to release her new Pokemon. When it appeared in front of her, Nell pointed Nevia at it.

"_Scyther, the mantis Pokemon. Scyther is blindingly fast. Its blazing speed enhances the effectiveness of the twin scythes on its forearms. This Pokemon's scythes are so effective; they can slice through thick logs in one wicked stroke."_ Nevia said. Nell scrolled through Scyther's stats and learned that she –like Palee- was at level ten.

"_Okay, where is that little blob of a…when I catch him he is DEAD."_ The Scyther said looking around for who Nell supposed was Palee.

"Hi!" Nell exclaimed.

The Scyther looked at her.

"I'm Nell, your new trainer! I think I'm going to call you…Ao. Is that name okay?"

"_Sure, whatever. Now where is that thing that hit me- oh hello little blob."_ With a wicked grin, Ao started to chase after Palee, who was 'running' for his life. Nell laughed at her two Pokemon. She liked this Scyther.

* * *

All she wanted to do was work. Was that too much to ask for? She never thought that taking this apprenticeship would cause her any trouble. Maybe it wasn't her fault though. After all, she hadn't had any problems before this. Everybody thought she was a doll- completely adorable. And she was, in her opinion. Not that she was conceited about it or anything.

No, Kelly Fernbrook would not be disturbed by this difficult customer. At the Eclipse Pokemon Daycare, every Pokemon is happy. So if this guy wasn't, that wasn't her problem. He wasn't a Pokemon, was he?

Kelly tossed her blonde hair from her shoulders and stared at the boy in front of her. "Look buddy, I tried to be nice, I really did. What don't you understand about that fact that you said that you didn't _want_ the egg?" She said in her southern accent.

"I _didn't_ say that!" The boy said in desperation. "You must have me confused with somebody else. Now give me the egg already."

"You see, I normally wouldn't have a problem with that, except the other parent of that egg _happens_ to be my Gorebyss! And really, I think that the mother should keep the egg!" Kelly said smartly.

The boy growled in frustration. "Fine, how can we settle this? I just want to _leave_."

"Nothing's stopping you!" The blonde snapped.

"How about a two-on-two battle? Winner gets the egg?" The boy suggested.

"And what id it's a tie? Do we play rock-paper-scissors?" Kelly said half sarcastic and half serious. She liked rock-paper-scissors. That was probably because she had freakishly good luck. It was because of that luck that she _knew_ she was going to win this battle.

"Sure, whatever works. Let's go outside."

It was still sunny outside, although most of the sun's rays were blocked by the many trees of Eclipse forest. The Daycare Center- which was a log cabin- was located in a clearing in the middle of the forest. At night it normally got so dark that it was hard to see.

The two trainers stood on the grass outside of the Center and stared at each other. Kelly took two pokeballs from her white belt and held one in each hand. The boy did the same, only from his black belt.

"Two-on-two? Are you sure you want to do this?" Kelly asked, her eyes gleaming.

"Must you continue to talk? Let's just get this over with." The boy said stoically.

"Fine! Rina, Aria, go!" Kelly said throwing her pokeballs up in the air. Soon enough, a Delcatty and a Persian appeared in front of her respectively. "Ha! Bow to my feline power!"

"That was a terrible catch line. Squirtle, Mantine!" The boy said, mimicking Kelly's previous moves.

"Rina, Aria, use a double Shockwave attack! Ha, I am _so_ going to wipe out your water Pokemon!" Kelly ordered confidently.

The boy- Kyle- didn't think that Kelly was the type of person to teach her Pokemon attacks like that. He was expecting something like Attract, or Charm.

"Squirtle, quick, dodge it with dig! Mantine, protect!" Kyle shouted.

Just as the two cats released their attacks, Squirtle buried itself into the ground and Mantine put up a silver barrier. Electric attacks lit up the clearing and went out in a split second. One had hit Mantine's shield and got absorbed into it, and the other hit the ground. Moments later, Squirtle came up from under Aria and knocked her to the side.

"Gah! Rina, use Shadow Ball! Aria, Toxic attack!"

"Squirtle, use Focus Punch. Mantine, Swift."

The Delcatty charged up a ball of purple matter and shot it at the Squirtle while the Persian sprayed both of its opponents with a green acid. Both Squirtle and Mantine flinched in pain for a brief second before launching their attacks. A fury of stars it the cats and Squirtle aimed his powerful punch at Aria.

Kelly and her Persian both let out a small cry, and Aria was down. Kelly returned the white cat and glared at Kyle.

After her partner was down, it hadn't taken much longer to knock Rina out to. The Delcatty just couldn't take out two Pokemon on its own.

Kelly sauntered into the Center sadly to retrieve the egg. As much as she hated to admit it, it had been a fair fight. She really wanted that egg though. She knew that there was a good chance that the Pokemon in the egg would be a Clampearl, and they were fairly hard to come by in the Lochbay region. As a Pokemon breeder-in-training, she appreciated rare Pokemon and would do anything to own more. She could understand why the boy wanted the egg to. From what Kelly had heard, he was a renowned water Pokemon expert. From the way he battled, she could tell.

Nonetheless, he could always go out and dive for a Clampearl. She couldn't because her Gorebyss- Cara- didn't handle open water very well. Yes, she would do whatever it took to get that egg from Kyle. Even if that meant trying to steal it every chance she got. She wondered when she had gotten that evil.

The she got an idea.

"Hey buddy!" Kelly said, back to her perky self.

"What now? Just give me the egg." Kyle said impatiently.

"Okie-dokie! Here ya go!" Kelly grinned.

The boy stared at her. "Okay, I'm leaving.It has been a displeasing pleasure." He nodded his head.

"But I had an idea!" Kelly pouted.

"Something tells me I don't want to know what it is."

"So, here's the thing…I _really_ need and want that egg. My smartness tells me that a Clampearl is in there, and I, like, _really_ want a Clampearl. So…I'm going to follow you until you're so annoyed that you'll give me the egg just so I'll go away!" Kelly said bluntly.

"Well now that I know that…"

Kyle took off towards Eclipse Village. It was too bad for Kelly that he took the egg with him.

With her Pokemon on her belt, she ran through the trees after him in hopes that she would be able to steal the egg for herself.

* * *

Author's Note:I Love how Kelly is blunt.Okay, that was a pretty short chapter. I was bored today so I figured I'd write/post it. I'll update on the weekend with a normal/longer length chapter.

And yes, the whole Kyle/Kelly stalk-a-thon will continue, and it _does_ have something to do with our buddy Nell. :)

Read and Review :)


	5. Into the Darkness

Author's Note: Wow, it's been a long time…-sweatdrop- Don't mind me. Anywho… sorry if this chapter is somewhat disconnected from the last, as I'm working on a different computer file and can't access my writing from my other file (I was an idiot and made it forbidden to access on the other files…grr). Yep, so now that school is done I'll be able to update more frequently (really, I _was_ updating frequently up until the last month…ha). I just reread the last chapter and noticed like –gasp- three spelling mistakes! –Twitch- I'm ashamed of myself…oh well, I hope they weren't very noticeable…I mean, is "id" even a word? Yeah, I didn't think so!

I'm still taking characters if there are any new readers…ha.

Okay, so on with it (Thanks for the push Dinobot ;) )

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Pokemon related. I own my Lochbay Region, Nell, Merick, Kelly (not really, but oh well). Dinobot owns Kyle. FireSpirit owns Sofia…is that all? Okie, good.

* * *

Chapter Four: Into the Darkness 

Dusk was approaching Eclipse Forest as two figures crouched beneath a large pine tree. Finding a way to ditch the ever optimistic Kelly was proving to be more difficult than it sounded. In the past few minutes, Kyle had come up with several different angles to their situation, only to have each one turned down by Squirtle.

He peered around the tree's broad trunk and opened his eyes wide as he noticed Kelly only mere feet away. He thought it was odd that she hadn't said anything in the last little while, especially considering that she had been shouting his name for hours. However odd it may have been, Kyle couldn't help but feel relieved, for at last his ears were saved. It was only to be expected that the girl could yell-it went with her abnormal perky attitude, which was scary enough. The boy wasn't used to being around loud people. His family was too serious to do anything but murmur, and his friends…Well it was suffice to say that he hadn't seen them in a while. After all, having been traveling around the region for a year made it hard to keep in touch.

Kyle could hear tree branches crack nearby and brought his hand over his mouth in attempted to muffle the sound of his breathing. She was close-closer than she had been. All he had to do was wait, for once Kelly was farther away he would be able to do multiple things that would improve his current condition.

"Kyle, I know you're here…" Kelly sang quietly. To be more discrete, the boy pressed the button on Squirtle's pokeball to return the Pokemon. He drew his knees tightly to his chest and leaned further into the tree. This was not good. All Kelly had to do was move around the tree.

Feeling like it was his last resort; Kyle picked up a rock and threw it a good twenty feet from their position. He shut his eyes and prayed that she didn't see the rock fly.

"Rina! There was a sound over there! Let's go!"

Kyle sighed in relief and stood up, readying stage one of his plan. If he was correct, Kelly would be far enough away from him for Kyle to be heard. He drew a blue pokeball from his belt and released his most hated Pokemon- Luvdisc. The small Pokemon chirped and jumped in spot upon seeing him.

"Okay, here's what you are going to do: Go jump in that river and distract the blonde girl over there." Kyle explained to the Pokemon.

"_Hug?"_ Luvdisc asked.

"Later…" Her owner growled. He had no idea why his Luvdisc was obsessed with hugs; all he knew was that he had to give her one every time he wanted her to do something.

"_Yay!"_

The Pokemon hopped over to the water and started swimming against the downward current, squealing in laughter.

Stage one: complete.

Next, Kyle drew out Squirtle's pokeball and released his favourite companion. Squirtle- who had no doubt been sleeping- yawned and looked up at his owner.

"_Yes?"_ Squirtle asked croakily, looking around to see if he was still in the same place. It was becoming increasingly darker and harder to see through the tall trees.

"Use Secret Power on this tree- we are camping in there tonight." Kyle said dejectedly.

Squirtle glowed a faint white colour and touched the tree, creating a hanging vine which notified the user that the tree was ready to be used as a base.

"Good, you can go in. Umm…" Kyle stopped for a moment. How was he going to safely bring Luvdisc back- not like he cared or anything, he just didn't want the small Pokemon to pound him. Passing the thought, he climbed up the vine and into the tree. He would figure out what to do later.

Processing commands through the black laptop room modifier quickly, Kyle glanced around his new room. His bed was placed at the far end of the room, a half-dome table on the right side with five stools against it, a surf rug in the middle of the floor, along with two small blue couches, and finally a bookshelf along the left wall. This was home-sweet-home…Almost. He couldn't help but miss is home and family in Carina Port. The Nolan family ran the Carina Marina- yes, he knew what that sounded like- and that was how he had gotten into water Pokemon. He missed swimming in the waters with his Pokemon, and he missed the S and S games.

Every summer the Carina Marina held the annual Spheal and Seal games. They guaranteed fun for everybody- whether they were participants or audience members. Kyle vowed that he would go back for them this year. He knew that he would qualify to play this year, as he had been training with his Sealeo any chance he got. At the end of the week-long competition, the top forty finalists won a cruise around the Mormora Region. Such a cruise would be amazing, it would be full of water Pokemon trainers just like him. Maybe he could learn something from them, but who knew?

Kyle sighed dreamily and received a hard punch from Squirtle. "What?" He glared at the turtle.

"_You're doing it again."_ Squirtle stated. _"Shouldn't we be figuring out a way to get Luvdisc back? You don't want Kelly to steal her do you?"_

"She can steal her all she wants. I don't care." Kyle said, getting a stern look from Squirtle, who was now sitting on one of the bar stools. "Okay, fine…I'll get Sealeo to get her."

"_Oh, that is really discrete sending a massive blob to get her. Yep, Kelly won't see him coming."_ Squirtle rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you go get her then."

"_Why don't you call up your mother and see if she can transfer you a smaller Pokemon like Chinchou or someone?_" Squirtle asked logically.

Kyle shook his head. He hadn't spoken to his mother in months, so it just didn't seem right to call her up for a favor now.

Before Kyle could answer, both his and Squirtle's heads perked up because of a loud screech.

It was coming from Kelly's direction.

"_You know, we should probably go help her…"_

"Fine."

The duo ran towards where they expected Kelly to be. It was getting harder to run with each inch, due to the excessive pine needles and rocks on the ground and darkness. Soon enough a Pokemon would have to use Flash in order to see. Kyle knew he had to hurry- none of his Pokemon knew the attack.

The screaming was becoming louder- clearer- the closer Kyle and Squirtle got to Kelly's estimated location. They had to be careful now- they were getting too close to the water's edge.

A HootHoot howled in the distance, waking up other nocturnal Pokemon. Dangerous Houndoom lurked the Eclipse Forest at night, some being deadly. Something serious could have happened to Kelly out there. Something that neither Rina nor Luvdisc could have protected her from.

Kelly screamed as though her life depended on it. She had been further into the forest then they had thought; she stood in the middle of a six tree circle, by a shrine dedicated to the forest's Houndoom. She had her hands over her heart, her knees bent and her hair still perfect. A look of terror wasn't found in her eyes, but a look of adoration.

In front of her stood…Luvdisc.

The words 'Uh oh' ran through Kyle's head as he appeared in front of her. How could he be so stupid? He reached down to Squirtle's pokeball on his belt and returned the Pokemon. He couldn't stand to look at him any longer.

"Cute!" Kelly screamed. "Hey! Look, I found Kyle! Look at the Luvdisc Kyle, isn't it adorable! Luvdisc are my absolute _favourite_ Pokemon!"

"Oh Suicune…" Kyle muttered angrily.

"I think I'm going to catch this Luvdisc!" Kelly stated, still screaming. She drew an empty pokeball from her belt and threw it at the Pokemon. However, since it was Kyle's Pokemon, the pokeball bounced back to the girl's hand.

Kyle sighed and returned Luvdisc.

"Oh my! You know, you have better taste in Pokemon than I thought! I wish I had a Luvdisc! You're so lucky! I wish I had…oh wait, I already _do_ have cute Pokemon, but that's beside the point." Kelly rambled loudly, running to Kyle and taking a hold of his arm. "So where are we and where are we going? You know, I've been looking all over for you! I must have just missed you! Oh well, that doesn't matter now, because I found you and I'm _never_ leaving your side!"

Kyle looked at the clinging girl, mortified. She was going to drive him insane, he just knew it. "Do any of your Pokemon know flash?"

"Of course! What idiot doesn't teach their Pokemon flash in a forest such as this!" Kelly said, not knowing that the idiot she was asking about was Kyle. She released Rina and ordered the Delcatty to use Flash. "Ya know, I am _so_ glad I found you! Now I have somebody to protect me from them big bad Houndooms!"

Kyle led Kelly back to the base and set up another bed. He couldn't just leave her out there, could he? That would be…inhumane. Despite how inhumane it would have been, he regretted letting her in the second she sat down on the plush blue couch.

"Ohh! This couch is comfy! Ya know, blue isn't really my colour, but I rather like this shade. I much prefer green…and pink! I wish there was a green and pink Pokemon! Is there? I'm not sure!"

"You know, if it is your sole mission to annoy the heck out of me, I must say you are succeeding." Kyle stated, irritated. He walked to the bookshelf and pulled out a book entitled "Spheal and Seal Rule Guide", though it wasn't long until Kelly was glancing over his shoulder curiously.

"Watcha reading?" Kelly asked, watching Kyle flip to the next page, where her eyes set on a handsome Seal. "Hey! Did you know that I have a Seal! Come out Shia!"

Moments later a white seal Pokemon with a pink bow tied around her neck appeared. Shia clapped enthusiastically.

Kyle stared at it and dropped his book. If she had a Seal and she was going to follow him, then that meant…

"No!"

* * *

The ancient gates of Marionette Town loomed over Nell's four-foot-ten frame. Her pink hair blew in the nights wind as she looked up at the tall guard tower, which held a man in his late fifties. The only way to get into the town was to go through the gate and the only way to do that was to get the sleeping man's attention. If she could get Palee to aim a Water Pulse attack at the building…but Palee was asleep and so was Ao- who Nell had learned did not like to fly. 

"Hey, mister!" Nell tried yelling, only for her voice to come out in a quiet croak. She was tired and determined not to camp out on the hard ground. "That's it…" She muttered.

Drawing Palee's pokeball from her yellow belt, she threw it in the man's direction. Not to her surprise, it came tumbling back down and released an infuriated Palee.

"_What do you want! I was sleeping!"_

"I figured as much…Okay, I just _really_ need you to do one little thing for me."

"_Oh yeah, and what is that?"_ Palee asked in her grumpy mood.

"Shoot a Water Pulse attack at the big wooden box up there." Nell said as if it was the simplest thing in the world-which it wasn't.

"_Oh yeah, right, well that isn't going to happen!"_

"Palee…please. I'll buy you anything you want _and_ I won't make you battle at the Marionette Town Gym…" Nell begged, looking at the Lotad.

She swore that if Palee didn't cooperate, she was going to find somebody to trade Pokemon with once she got into the gates, but until then she had to find a way to persuade the blue blob.

"_Fine, but only because I want to go back to sleep."_

Palee squirted bullets of water through the tower's window at the sleeping man, who tossed about and woke up looking annoyed and wet. Nell smiled up at him and waved him down, making sure to catch his attention. A light shone in the box, illuminating the nearby trees and the gate area below. Nell could see that the guard was a short scrawny man, possibly even older than she had imagined. Slowly, he made his way down the wooden ladder and approached Nell.

"Hello and welcome to Marionette town. What is your purpose for entering the city?" He asked quietly, taking in Nell and Palee. He gave the stern Pokemon and made it flinch.

"Palee, return." Nell murmured before looking straight at the man. "Oh, I'm here to challenge the gym leader." She smiled at him shyly.

"Can I see your I.D?"

"I.D?" Nell asked. She never knew that she had any identification, or that she needed any. Then again, it made sense to have some.

"Your pokedex, please."

Her pokedex, of course! Why hadn't she thought of that herself? She hit her head lightly and pulled the yellow gadget from her belt. "Here you go!"

The pokedex briefly explained who Nell was, confirming that she was in fact a Pokemon trainer, and that she didn't intend to cause any trouble or harm.

"Very good. Sableye! Open the gates!" The old guard ordered his Pokemon, who Nell assumed was on the other side of the tall gates.

"Oh, mister…Are Sableyes common around here?" Nell asked. During school she had thought that Sableyes were neat Pokemon and had always wanted one.

"Oh, not common, but if you look in the right places you could certainly find one." The old man said mysteriously before bowing out and heading back up the ladder.

Nell shrugged and walked through the gates, hoping to catch a glance of the ghost Pokemon, but was unable to see it. She sighed and continued walking in search of a hotel.

Ten minutes later, Nell rounded in on Puppet Hotel. Its appearance kind of reminded the girl of a wooden castle that would be in a medieval fort, kind of spooky and cool looking at the same time. However, as she got closer, she noticed that it wasn't wooden at all, but a different material all together, one that was unknown to even herself. It still looked like a castle though- it had a flag and everything!

The flag of Marionette Town waved in the breeze. It was a dark purple shade with a picture of what appeared to be some sort of abstract Banette in the center, surrounded by a light purple 'glow'. Nell supposed that Banette were the town's specialty Pokemon.

Every town in the Lochbay Region had a specialty Pokemon- a Pokemon that the town was known for, that acted like a mascot of sorts. Whitevale Beach's specialty Pokemon was Tropius, whereas Port Carina was both Spheal and Seal, and Eclipse Town was- of course- Houndoom. Nobody knew how these Pokemon were chosen, as they weren't necessarily common in the area, or necessarily used in the Pokemon gyms.

It hadn't taken long for Nell to check into the vacant hotel and enter her room. Pokemon trainers got a discount on the Castle Suits, so she figured she would go for one of them, and she was glad that she had. There was a circular king-sized bed, red satin sheets spread across it, at the back of the room, there was a walk-in closet, and a big bathroom on one side, and a couch, television and desk on the other. It was possibly the biggest hotel room she had ever stayed in- not like she stayed in many though.

Nell took off her belt and threw it and her backpack on the couch, choosing to lie across the bed. Feeling generous, she released both Ao and Palee and let them enjoy the comforts of their temporary home.

"Okay guys, rest up because tomorrow we're hitting the Marionette Town gym…" Nell said in a daze.

She had initially intended to blink, but the second her eyelids closed she fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Marionette Town gym, a black-haired girl stood in shock, looking up at the gym leader, her Umbreon, Twilight, held close to her chest. 

"Lose? I'm sorry, but the word 'Lose' isn't in my vocabulary! I can't accept this!" She shouted in frustration.

The pale woman in front of her laughed, her Banette mimicking her. "You, _little girl_, must accept this fate. It is purely your fault and nobody else's. If you dare to challenge me again, come back tomorrow, for I believe that you will need your beauty sleep." The woman taunted.

"Oh, you better believe I'll come back tomorrow." Sofia growled through her teeth. She turned around a started out the door, only to turn back around again and say, "Oh, and tomorrow you better not cheat!"

She would show her! If she was going to go out with a bang, it might as well have been a semi-sarcastic bang!

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, yeah I intended on making this longer, but it'll do. I'll update again probably tomorrow, because, honestly, I have a lot on my mind and this really helped me forget it all :( Yep, so until then…

Read and Review:)


	6. Contemplating

Author's Note: "id" is seriously a word! That's ridiculous! Lol, well I definitely learned something today! Well, I'm kind of thinking up a sequel for this story (if I make it that far!) …Sorry for the false alarm…I reposted chapter four because something about it was bugging me. Man, I want to write some romance, but seeing as these characters are only like 12 and under, that kind of constricts me to cutesy crush-type stuff…eh, I'm thinking of –evil- romantic plots for the sequel…-looks towards Kelly- Muhaha. :) She isn't going to have to wait that long (queue cutesy crush-type stuff) Lol. A lot of this chapter is actually about Kelly (what's up with her anyway?)

Special thanks to Mew3692002, who took time to review all of my chapters :) I love my reviewers! Frankly, I'm shocked that this fic hasn't gotten flamed yet!

Question for FireSpirit: Do you mind if I give Sofia a Spheal? It will have to do with later chapters and Merick ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Pokemon related. I own the Lochbay Region, Nell, and I half-own Kelly. Kyle is Dinobot's. Sofia is FireSpirit's. Whoever created Pokemon is most probably a creative genius and rich, and I am neither.

* * *

Chapter Five: Contemplating 

"So…How should we tackle this gym guys? Oh wait; I really have no choice, do I? That is, considering stupid Palee won't battle!" Nell muttered in frustration, regretting letting her first Pokemon off the hook of battling. She didn't feel sorry for him one bit that Ao was still out for his blood, it served him right for being a stuck up prick! Eventually she would run out of bad bribes to get the jerk to do things that normal Pokemon did- mainly not constantly eat and sleep. How did a Pokemon like that even pass the registration process? He probably lied about everything…

The slick Scyther, Ao, stopped at her position on the bed. She had been running around the room in attempt to catch Palee; it was a wonder how he could move so fast, which had Ao thinking that Nell was feeding him super-Pokemon food, and that the girl was keeping the stash from her new Scyther. She looked at her owner, feeling a bit of pity for the girl, who wore a sad expression on her face-one that definitely did not fit her. Ao would gladly fight for the worried girl, even if it meant sacrificing her 'hunt Palee' time, which was her main idea of fun on this rather uneventful journey.

"_I'll fight, although I know I'm not very effect against ghosts…"_ Ao offered, unsure that she would be able to please her trainer. Nell gave her a small smile of encouragement and stared back towards the ground, one thousand thoughts going through her head each minute. There was no way she could beat this gym with only one Pokemon, especially as a new trainer, and even though she learned about battling in school, nothing would compare to the real thing. At this time something crossed her mind- she had never actual had a _real_ Pokemon battle before! Sure, she did pathetically battle her classmates and Merick on the beach, but she couldn't really count those battles, could she? After all, they had all only just gotten their Pokemon and barely even knew their attacks. Why, if she ran into Merick or Sarah Appleton now, they would probably beat her blindfolded. Come to think of it, they both probably had at least their first gym badges…

Nell sighed dejectedly, watching the cowering Palee attempted to fit his large lily pad beneath the round bed in attempt to hide from the angered Scyther. That was just what she needed to find out- that her first Pokemon was a complete coward, though not to mention a conceited jerk. At least she could count on Ao, but for how long? She knew that Ao wouldn't last long in a ghost Pokemon gym…There had to be another way. The sun would rise in one hour, and that was when she had planned to challenge the Marionette Town gym leader- whose name was a mystery- for her first badge. However, that was before she had told Palee that he didn't have to battle. She figured that she could always go out and catch another Pokemon, but Nell remembered that Route 146's grasslands were rather empty, and that she needed a sufficient reason for leaving Marionette Town in such a hurry.

She looked toward her Pokemon, still fretting about what to do. She trusted Ao, but she didn't want her Scyther to suffer a major loss at her expense and definitely not at Palee's expense, after all, this was Palee's fault and nobody else's. If the Lotad would just cooperate for one second, it would be long enough to beat the gym leader's Pokemon.

At six o'clock am on a Sunday morning, Nell had decided to take things into her own hands- she would go out and catch another Pokemon. It was her only choice.

"_Get away from me you cursed bug!"_ Palee hissed at the swiping Scyther, drawing all attention to him.

"_No! Die!"_ Ao growled back, getting more tired as she swiped at the water Pokemon in desperate attempted to injure him as much as he injured her.

If only Palee could evolve…Nell stopped in mid-thought. It was said that when some Pokemon evolve, their personalities changed drastically. No, it was hopeless. Even though Lotads evolved into Lombres at level fourteen, there was know way she would be able to get Palee to battle in order to gain four levels. If she could, it would probably cost her a fortune in bribes. What had she bribed him just to help her get into the place? Whatever item he wanted, the promise to not send him out in the upcoming gym battle, and limitless sleep. Who knew what he would want next?

Convinced she would need another Pokemon, Nell turned to Ao. "Okay, here's the plan. In about an hour we're going to go out to find another Pokemon. I'll still use you in the battle if you want to fight, but I honestly think we'll be needed some more backup."

"_If that is what you feel is best."_ Ao agreed, tilting her green head slightly to catch her trainer's eye before continuing to try to hurt Palee.

"_Help…"_ Palee shouted in frantic attempt to get Nell to tell Ao off, thinking that she would actually do it.

"Nope, you deserve it! In fact, Ao why don't you try a little bit harder?" Nell said grinning and bringing her arms back behind her head. She gave a stifled yawn and headed to the bathroom to get changed and ready, hearing terrified shrieks from her first Pokemon. Oh, how she loved life.

* * *

Morning struck Eclipse Forest and brought bright sunlight around Kyle's tree base. With the sunlight came a cool breeze that headed up the hole in which produced the tree's climbing vine. Kelly- having only been wearing a tank top and shorts- snuggled closer to the warmth to the side of her. She yawned and shut hers eyes tighter, trying to block out the endless chirping being made by Pidgeys outside. She wondered where Rina was, as she always slept with the Delcatty for warmth and comfort. Surely she hadn't forgotten to let the poor cat out of its pokeball, had she? Her question was answered by a quiet purr from the bed only a short distance away from her sleeping spot. 

She remembered having a bad nightmare last night, one that involved a group of black cloaked people. They were causing havoc throughout a large city, destroying everything they had come in contact with, stealing Pokemon from their loving owners, tripping elderly people. It was both incensing and terrifying. Who would do such a thing? Kelly knew it was only a dream, but it had felt so real. It was as though she was really there, watching through the window of a two story home, surrounded by three other people- one of which was Kyle. There was screaming. Mother's were carrying their children from the devastation, trying to save both of their lives. There were brave souls. Men and women trying to save the innocent from the evil, fighting with all of their might. And there was death. That wasn't something that Kelly wanted to reminisce about.

She shuddered and got up slowly. As the covers left her body, she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Something was beside her though. She looked over and saw Kyle's sleeping body, blankets pulled up so high that only the tips of his hair were visible. For a moment Kelly felt awkward, but she brushed it off, blaming her lack of judgment on her dream. What he wouldn't know wouldn't hurt him, right?

She pulled her legs off of the bed and stood up carefully, trying not to wake the sleeping boy. Rina perked her head up when she saw her master walking toward her. Kelly brought the Delcatty into her arms and held her tight, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. She wouldn't allow herself to look beaten up like that! She would do anything possible to look like the happy girl that everybody expected from her- even if that meant putting on a fake smile, a mask even.

Knowing she would be back, Kelly only took time to put on her shoes before making her way down the vine with Rina still in arms. Together they walked to the nearby stream and sat down, Rina dipping her paws into the water suspiciously, as if something would pop out of it. It came as a small shock when a Psyduck popped its head above the surface of the stream and shot a squirt of water at the cat's face, enraging her and making Kelly laugh. Rina dipped her head down in preparation of Headbutting the duck Pokemon, but it sped off downstream before she could hit it. Rina growled and returned to Kelly, curling up in her lap and falling asleep.

That is what Kelly loved about her life. Everybody in it was so easygoing- almost careless. Well, that was, everybody except her new escort Kyle Nolan. She really thought that the boy needed to lighten up a bit and have some fun. Sure, since he had the egg, Kelly made sure to make his life a living hell, but that wasn't the point, and that was his fault anyway. She was hoping that by the end of their long journey- to where? Kelly wondered- she would have rubbed off on him just a little bit. After all, anybody who knew Kelly became a happier person, either through her humiliation or addictive laughter.

She sighed, her previous laughter settling, and a small frown being placed on her face. What was she going to do? Where was she going? She could always go back to the Daycare, but her employers wouldn't be very happy with her…Maybe she would head to Carina Port and work there. She could always participate in and win those Seal and Spheal games; they had a grand prize, didn't they? Her brother would be proud of her if she won…

Her brother, she missed him so much. Five years older than Kelly, Jake Fernbrook's life was taken in a fire one year ago. At fifteen, he was everything anybody could expect from a teenage Fernbrook. He was cute with a highly appealing personality and overwhelming knowledge. Their parents had always anticipated him to have a successful life, one with a great job, a beautiful wife and kids, and a home of his own. When they learned that he would never have that, they broke down. However, Kelly was possibly the person most affected by this tragic happening.

Most siblings had a typical sibling relationship; they argue, they play, and they stick up for and support each other in rough times. Not Kelly and Jake though. When Kelly lost Jake, she lost her best friend-her protector. With him went his Pokemon, so there weren't many things left to remember him by. The house was destroyed along with his, but that wasn't what mattered at the time. Thinking that everybody survived, Kelly was hit by an overpowering urge of relief, but that relief turned to grief when she had found out the truth. Her brother was gone and she couldn't do anything about it.

The initial shock of losing a loved one was hard, but the next few days to come were the hardest in her life. If it weren't for her friends and Rina, Kelly wouldn't have made it through all of the visits to the funeral home and the funeral itself, but even though they were their, Kelly had wished that the fire would have taken her to, because nothing could make up for that loss. When she had voiced her thoughts to her parents, all they could say was that Jake wouldn't want her to die- that he would want her to be alive and happy, to live her life to the fullest…and that was what she intended to do. She hadn't changed after the funeral, she was still herself in many ways, even though her heart was broken and the pain was unbearable, she was determined to move on and keep her brother where it hurt most- in her heart.

There were, of course, times when she felt like giving up all together. Her parents certainly weren't normal any more. They had just lost their star child, and would not lose another one. One day Kelly had built up enough courage to ask them if she could finally leave on her Pokemon journey, feeling like it was the only way to get out of her hometown- Crystal Fort- but they had only yelled at her, saying that it was too dangerous and they wouldn't be able to bear losing another child.

That had been her breaking point. She would leave that place even if she had to run away. She packed what little she had and left, never to return. She did not get very far however. About two miles into the Eclipse Forest, Kelly had run into some hardships. Equipped with only Rina- who was only a Skitty at the time- she found that the forest's wild Pokemon were trying to get rid of her. Eventually, Rina had fainted, and Kelly was knocked to the ground, blacking out immediately.

When she had awakened up, she was in warm room, tucked beneath thick covers with an ice pack on her head. She couldn't remember what had happened in the forest or how she had been brought to this place. Later she was told that she was in the Eclipse Forest Pokemon Daycare, and was being taken care of by Mrs. and Mr. Fudgen, the elderly couple that ran the building. Kelly had established comfort in the log cabin and had decided to stay as an apprentice. She loved learning about the habits of the many different species of Pokemon, and liked to play around with them. Mrs. and Mr. Fudgen had been so kind to her- they had even taken her to Carina Port to go shopping for new clothes, accessories, and equipment. They had even let her keep one of the Pokemon eggs, which had hatched into a Gorebyss, who Kelly had named Cara. That was why it was so important that Kelly got the Pokemon egg from Kyle- so she can continue Cara's bloodline. It could be a tradition of sorts, but at this rate she was never going to get it.

Bright blue eyes drenched in tears, Kelly snapped out of her melancholy daze and looked down at Rina on her lap. With one hand she made an effort of wiping her tears from her face, and with the other, she stroked the Delcatty's head. She was so thankful for this Pokemon- for all her Pokemon. They had been her strength when she needed it the most.

"Hey," Kelly whispered to herself, "at least I have Kyle annoying to look forward to…" Rina woke from her nap and looked at the girl, purring. Kelly grinned at the cat and looked back out across the river.

Ten minutes past without sound, until a shriek filled the forest from behind Kelly. This was followed by a thump and a cry of pain. Kelly laughed. Kyle must've been up.

Sure enough, the boy- whose hair was in disarray from sleep- stomped toward her, holding her backpack as far from his body as his arms would allow.

"Good morning!" She said happily, her face now dry and sparkling with joy upon seeing him.

"Oh yeah, _great_ morning! Why are you still here? I thought I was just having a bad dream, but _no_ I wake up to your flippin' backpack on my floor!" Kyle glared.

Not being in the mood for an argument, Kelly frowned. "Awe, I love you to, but we're going to have to do something about this grumpiness in the morning!"

Kyle growled, still glaring, and snapped, "Why are you still following me? I tried to help you last night in that forest, and this is thanks I get? You not leaving? What am I doing wrong?"

"Youch. I never needed any help in the forest, honey! I was just simply admiring that adorable Luvdisc that I have just recently learned is yours! Oh, and you must have forgotten about are whole 'egg situation'!"

"Don't call me that, and like I was supposed to know that you weren't screaming at my stupid Luvdisc! Who _does_ that?" He said angrily, throwing Kelly's backpack on the ground, making a greatball fall out of one of the pockets.

"_I_ do that! You, my dear, need to calm down. I told you long ago- okay, not _that_ long ago, but still- that I wasn't going to leave you until I get that egg!" Kelly snapped, starting to get slightly angry.

"Fine. What's the big deal about that egg anyway? You work at the Daycare; you could have any egg you want!"

"It's my Gorebyss's egg! You know what? I'm not in the mood for this. If you're not going to give me that egg, or if you're not going to calm down, then go away."

Silence surrounded the two for a moment.

Kyle walked forward and touched Kelly's bare shoulder. "What's wrong? Even if I thought this was a bad dream, you were never like this." His voice was filled with worry.

"I've just got a lot on my mind is all." Kelly said nonchalantly, trying to shrug his pestering action aside. Instead, Kyle sat down close to her.

"Oh, sure. C'mon, tell me. You know, you aren't the only one allowed to be annoying. I have my times now and again!"

Kelly hesitated. Would Kyle tell her that she was being stupid and to forget about it like everybody else had? She doubted it, but was still hesitant about telling him her thoughts. After all, this was the guy who stole her egg! Who could she trust him?

"You know, it isn't good to keep things bottled up inside." He continued. "Whatever it is, I promise that I would bug you about it."

"Well, I suppose I should tell you, because if I don't you might start poking me." Kelly said seriously, looking at Kyle, who as, in return, look at her.

"So…what is it?"

"Well…" Kelly stopped herself, feeling another wave of grief taking over her. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you…not yet at least. It's all too fresh in my mind still."

"Well, if that's how you feel." Kyle stood up, dusted himself off and offered the girl his hand. "C'mon then. We should probably get out of here."

Kelly took his hand and stood up, grabbing her backpack with her free hand, and they both head back to the tree to pack up.

That hadn't gone as Kelly had expected.

* * *

The chamber was dark and cold. With walls of stone and chains, it was what one would expect a dungeon to look like. In the center of the room stood ten black cloaked figures surround one of their own. 

Today was the day of initiation of a new brother- a day of celebration. Together, they would raise their drinks to their new brother and to their plans for the future. He, unlike the rest of the new recruits seemed to have no hesitation about what he was about to embark into. He did not threat when he signed their contract in blood. He appeared to have no worries. This was a good thing for all of the brothers.

The Xeray Group was now complete. Together, they would conquer all, and with the help of their new brother, the Lockbay Region would like it- or else.

"Now my brother, open your eyes to us and feel our undying power!" The leader said, raising his arms above his head.

The younger brother opened his eyes and brought down his hood, revealing a length of teal hair.

"Yes my brother." He said, smirking.

* * *

Authors note: I smirk at _that_. Yes, I was going to make this chapter _much_ longer, but decided to cut it down, due to lack of time and such. I especially cut Kelly's part down (it was nearly double the length) because I wanted to make it progress throughout the story. I hope you guys liked it :) 

If you read this, I encourage you to review, as it a)makes me happy, and b)makes me want to write more!

R+R


	7. The Ghosts of Marionette Town

Author's Note: Hey, guess what? I'm updating! Yep, better believe it. I- being the loser I am with no life- am sitting in front of my computer on a Friday night updating a Pokemon fanfic. Yes, I clearly am regressing in, um, age?

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own Pokemon or certain characters (if you own them you know who you are…I'm too lazy to write this.)

For my own amusement I'm going to time how long it takes me to write this…

Current time: October 13, 2006, 7:29 p.m.

**Um, okay, I'm going to warn you now that the gym leader in here says some harsh things (this might affect you more Fire Spirit because she says it to you're character…sorry, it adds to the plot though). Yeah, you've been warned. I don't hate your characters…Oh yeah, and I'm focusing on Nell and Sofia this chapter. Next chapter will be Kyle, Kelly, and the evil cult. **

* * *

Chapter Six: The Ghosts of Marionette Town

He stood at four foot eleven, his head high and his eyes set towards the sky. His name was Falcon and he was finally Nell's. It had taken half a day and about ten trips to the Pokemon Center, a stubborn effort from Ao, and most surprisingly, Palee, but he stood now at her side, like the loyal dog he was.

This was it- Nell was prepared for her first gym battle against Marionette Town's ghost trainer Lucia St. Mark. Cold, and possibly unfeeling, the young woman was known to be ruthless in her battles, pressing her Pokemon to do the unthinkable…and the unbeatable. It was all up to Falcon, and Nell wished on her life that the battle would only be one on one so that she wouldn't have to put her other two Pokemon in harms way- not that Palee would agree to put himself in harms way or anything. The closer the Lotad got to evolving, the more defiant he became. It was actually starting to worry his trainer.

"Well, I suppose we should go in, don't you?" Nell asked Falcon quietly, as if not to disturb any resting spirits. It must have been because of their grave yard surroundings. This gym was starting to scare her, yet intrigue her at the same time.

"_Yes."_ Falcon replied, trudging his paws through the thick, white mist around them. The duo walked past a pair of tombstones. Nell couldn't tell whether humans or Pokemon were buried here, the writing on the stones were so worn down that it was illegible.

The walk to the entrance of the gym was slightly slower than what they would have wanted, though only because a mix of nervousness and fear held them back from what they were meant to do.

Nell gulped as she grasped the bronze knocker and she slammed it against the door two times. When it was opened, she stood face to face with a tall, pale man. He looked skeletal, which was fitting for the gym's environment.

"Can I help you?" He asked in a low voice, one that didn't suit his physical appearance at all. His light grey eyes bore into Nell's soft violet ones.

"Um…Yes. I-I want to challenge Miss…Lucia." Nell stuttered up at the frightful man who never seemed to notice her hesitation.

"Mistress St. Mark is currently engaged in battle. You may watch if you please." He said in a monotonous voice, directing the girl down a long hallway before she had a chance to reply.

The walls of the St. Mark fortress were of pure grey coloured stone. Very few frames hung on them, and those that did were undoubtedly holding portraits of Lucia's ancestors. All had gleaming silver hair and pale complexion with grey eyes made of sheer cold. They looked like ghosts themselves.

"In here Miss." The butler said, opening a wooden door for Nell and Falcon.

Upon entering, Nell could see four figures surrounded by a lot of silver mist. Among those figures was Marionette Town's own gym leader, Lucia St. Mark. She stood on a platform made of silver on the right side of the large arena. Opposite her was a younger girl with black hair, frustratingly calling out to her Umbreon who was attempting to attack a swift Banette. The ghost Pokemon appeared to be taunting the dark dog as it continued to try hitting its opponent with a bright Swift attack. Things weren't looking good for the challenger.

"Cut it out St. Mark! I came here to battle you, not play tag!" The black haired girl yelled in irritation. Lucia just stared at her and laughed coldly.

"Why did you even come back Sofia? You didn't stand a chance against me yesterday, you don't today, and you never will? Isn't that why you left in the first place? Pathetic, that's what you are." She said, running a hand through her sweeping silver hair.

"Why don't you shut up? Twilight! Pursuit!" Sofia commanded.

Nell watched as the Umbreon once again charged at the ghost unsuccessfully. The mist must have been strategically placed, because the Banette seemed to disappear into it to evade oncoming attacks.

"Do you really want me to finish this? Do you want it to end? If I do, will you hold up you're end of our bargain? Will you leave for good?" Lucia asked.

"I won't leave until I beat you! Twilight, try Toxic!"

"It's no use kid; you aren't going to be able to catch me in any way. Give up now and I'll spare you your miserable life." The gym leader said harshly. "Banette. Finish it with Hyper Beam."

Out of the mist came the marionette shrouded in a white glow. Only seconds later was a large, golden beam discharged from its mouth towards the helpless Umbreon. When the smoke cleared, the Banette was the only one standing.

"…what?" Sofia managed to mutter, returning her Umbreon to its pokeball.

"Have you learned nothing sister? Once you betray the St. Mark family, you will always be hated- not only by us, but by this entire town! Never show you're face in my city again you dismal being. Leave. Now." Lucia ordered, pointing at the door, in the process noticing a horror stricken Nell, who was staring at her in disbelief.

"Fine. You want me gone? Consider it done? I was stupid to even give this idiotic family another chance." Sofia said bitterly, lifting her hazel eyes from the ground. She walked briskly out the door, prepared to follow her older sister's wishes.

"What are you doing here girl?" Lucia asked Nell once her former opponent left the room. "I don't allow spectators during my battles."

"I…um. Your butler, he told me to watch in here. I, um, came here to challenge you, but…I think I've changed my mind. I'm not ready." Nell squeaked before running from the arena.

"Ugh. Pathetic beings. Every single one of them." Lucia sighed, angrily watching the young girl run with her fears.

* * *

Outside in the graveyard, Sofia tried her hardest to catch her breath. She gasped for air and her heart was thumping hard and fast in her chest. Was she really so foolish as to think Lucia would accept her? Although Sofia was only younger by five years, her sister had always treated her like a baby, often bashing and harshly insulting her and her skills. Was that the way older sisters were supposed to act?

Sofia had left home when she was eight. She thought that if she waited and trained for a few years- four to be exact- she would be able to challenge her sister and gain some respect. Apparently she was wrong.

Shrugging it off, she looked around. She was slumped against a cold tombstone. It must have been two hundred years old. The fortress must have been about that old to, and the St. Marks had lived there the whole time.

St. Mark. Sofia had abandoned that surname when she originally left town, changing her last name to Hitoshi. That way nobody would know she was related to the infamous gym leader Lucia St. Mark of Marionette Town. The Ghost Trainer.

Small footsteps sounded from a few feet away. Surely it was the young girl that had to experience the brawl. Sofia looked up to find the girl with her head down, short pink wisps of hair scattered in her face. The poor girl was probably terrified.

"Hi…are you okay?" Nell asked, raising her head slightly to allow one violet eye to gaze down upon the older girl.

"Yep, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I mean…she was pretty harsh back there, wasn't she? Who is she to insult you like that?" Nell asked, brushing disheveled hair from her face.

Sofia shrugged. "She's my sister. Her insults don't bother me as much anymore."

"You're sister?! She's a mean one." Nell said in disbelief.

"Yeah, well, I suppose we all are once in a while. Anyway, I'm Sofia." The black haired girl stuck out her hand.

"Um, Nell." Nell replied, taking the girl's hand.

"So, are you here to challenge my dear sister? Approach her with caution; her icy glare might freeze you on the spot if her eyes meet yours directly." Sofia laughed, getting no response from the younger girl.

"I _was_ going to challenge her, but I think I've changed my mind. I'm _really_ not ready yet."

"Yeah, it doesn't look like you are. You look…" Sofia stopped, trying to find a word.

"Inexperienced?" Nell offered.

"Yeah. Sorry."

"No, its okay. I am." She paused, forcing a momentary silence. "So, what are you going to do now? Surely you can't stick around here any longer…"

"Of course not. I should really get as far away from this place as possible, and as soon as possible…I just don't know where to go." Sofia said bluntly, bringing herself to her feet. She turned out to be about three or four inches taller than Nell, a normal height four a twelve year old.

"I have an idea." Nell declared. "How about you come with me?" When she received a strange look from the older girl, she add, "I mean, you don't know where you're going, and I don't know where I'm going. We can make it work! Let's wing it!"

Sofia brought her hand to her chin, considering Nell's proposition. "Yeah, that could work. Sure, why not."

Nell clapped her hands together and leapt up in the air, almost falling upon landing, and reached out to clutch a nearby tombstone.

"Um, yeah. Let's get out of here…fast." Nell said, wiping her hand on her skirt, thinking there was grime on it.

"Will do."

* * *

A/N: Time! 9:00 p.m. of the same day. Score. Okay, once again, don't mind the harshness. It had to happen. And I'm listening to rather depressing music, so I was in the mood.

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